The Cy-Fair Fire Department is on track to break ground on a new fire station near Settlers Village in April, project officials told the Harris County Emergency Services District No. 9 board of commissioners March 26.

In a nutshell: Positioned at the crossroads of Settlers Village and FM 529, Station 15 will allow CFFD to fill a service gap in ZIP code 77449 near the Grand Parkway.

The department selected properties for its new fire stations based on a 2023 audit that found at least five stations would be needed in western and northern portions of the Greater Cy-Fair region, according to prior Community Impact reporting.

More details: ESD 9 commissioners unanimously approved a guaranteed maximum price of $12,858,338 for Station 15 construction during their March 26 regular board meeting. The district budgeted just under $13 million through fiscal year 2026-27 for the Station 15 project, according to the district’s five-year capital improvement plan. 

What's next: With board approval of the construction costs, CFFD and Martinez Architects are eyeing a mid-April groundbreaking. 

Locally-owned veterinary clinic Longenbaugh Veterinary Hospital will celebrate its 35th anniversary April 2, marking a long history of treating pets in the greater Cy-Fair community.

Read all about it: Copperfield resident Dr. Martin Keadle opened the hospital April 2, 1991 and continues to treat pets after more than three decades in the veterinary business.

Located just off Hwy. 6 in the Copperfield area, the hospital treats dogs and cats as fellow family members with individualized care, per its website. In honor of 35 years in business,  the clinic announced on social media it will serve refreshments throughout the day April 2.

What they offer: Longenbaugh Veterinary Hospital offers a variety of services including in-house laboratory and diagnostic testing, microchipping, radiology, surgical procedures, dentistry and more, according to its website. The veterinary staff also make house calls for pets and owners with special needs.

• 15703 Longenbaugh Drive, Ste. F, Houston

Need to catch up on Community Impact’s coverage from this week? Check out five trending stories in the Greater Houston area from March 23-27.

• 25-year old Seabrook Mexican restaurant reopened just six days after closing from strong community support

• A ‘face-lift’ for downtown: Montgomery commencing with downtown upgrades, new plans

• League City to consider rezoning land along League City Parkway from residential to commercial

• Houston to return historic Freedmen’s Town bricks to the neighborhood after restoration

• Conroe City Council ends executive contracts, approves nearly $1.85M in payouts

In the nine months until Texas’ 90th legislative session begins in January, state lawmakers are expected to hold information-gathering hearings on hundreds of topics that will lay the groundwork for next year’s policymaking.

During a March 27 legislative summit in New Braunfels, four longtime lawmakers shared some of their top priorities for next year.

What they're saying: The legislators said they were focused on furthering some projects from previous legislative cycles, including water preservation initiatives and a new education savings account program.

More details: They said they also intend to study data center operations and how the large facilities impact local water supplies, noting that the legislature will work with local officials to determine how much data center regulation should happen locally and when the state should step in. 

“Does the state need to be involved? Yes,” Rep. Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi, said. “Does local government need to have a say? Yes. But we’ve also got to remember, so does the private taxpayer. So we need to get a combination of all three.”